As we complete our 39th week of the school year and our 12th week of lockdown, the entire community is exhausted and ready for the final week of the school year where we will celebrate our year in true ISH style, albeit virtually.

As you know from yesterday’s communication from the ISH Board, they announced a very difficult decision they had reached. The ISH Board has put in an incredible amount of hours behind the scenes, analyzing endless scenarios, in the most dynamic and fluid of situations, unprecedented in our lifetimes. They deliberated and weighed what was the right thing to do for our school, our learners, and our community. The letter clearly explains why ISH is in such a unique position and why this decision was necessary. They are straightforward facts.

I could not be more proud of their approach, attitude, and candidness throughout the process, which has been on-going for many months now. They have undoubtedly made a difficult decision, but it is the right one for the future of ISH and that is ultimately the responsibility of a Board. Not all of you will agree, but this decision was not taken lightly and it is for the very best of intentions for student learning in the 21st century.

As an aspirational and truly international school, know that all our decisions are mission informed. It is why we choose to be at ISH.

As we wrap this week up, with the completion of assessments including e-portfolio conversations and the finishing up of Learning Feedback to students (aka Reports) and the editing of them, we are taking a deep breath in for the last week of the school year. Our buildings may not have been accessible over the last three months, but the school was very much open to learning. Our teachers have worked harder than ever, often in difficult circumstances, and have become better teachers because of it. Most of you have genuinely appreciated the extra efforts that faculty have put in and you have really got to know your children as learners.

What We Know:

Latest on COVID Figures. Today there are now 6,595,391 confirmed cases of COVID-19, in 188 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins CSSE site. 226,713 cases are in India, in Telangana, there are 3,142 cases, and 1,828 in Hyderabad (357 unknown as of today).

What ISH is Doing:

Community End of Year Presentation. There will be a zoom meeting at 8.30 am on Wednesday, June 10, to share our summary of the school year 2019-2020. All are invited. The zoom link will go out in the Monday communication.

We are working with ICRISAT to coordinate pick up of belongings for those students who are leaving. A separate note will go out. This is no straightforward task as we have a very limited workforce on campus.